{"id":420192,"date":"2025-12-02T19:48:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T19:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/420192\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T19:48:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T19:48:17","slug":"nycs-affordable-housing-goals-face-threats-from-federal-immigration-enforcement-report-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/420192\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC\u2019s affordable housing goals face threats from federal immigration enforcement, report finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City\u2019s construction industry, which has a significant foreign-born workforce, now faces potential setbacks for timelines, costs and the local economy as a result of ICE\u2019s ongoing immigration crackdown, according to a new report<\/a> published on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The unintended consequences of the Trump administration\u2019s mass deportations can be dire for the industry, as nearly 49% of construction employees in the NYC metro area are foreign-born, according to the Dec. 1 analysis from Construction Coverage<\/a>, an outlet that publishes construction industry reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The potential for increased labor costs to be passed on to developers, buyers, and renters could undermine efforts to address the city\u2019s affordable housing shortage<\/a>, the report\u2019s researchers suggest.<\/p>\n

The NYC metro construction industry employs a total of 288,678 foreign-born workers. Overall, 48.9% of its construction industry workforce is foreign-born, making it the fifth-largest share among any large U.S. metro area, according to the data.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even across the country, 1 in 4 construction workers are immigrants.\n<\/p>\n

Federal immigration enforcement could force \u2018new housing starts to slow down\u2019<\/p>\n

If too many of these workers are deported from the United States, it begs the question: Who will do this critical work?<\/p>\n

While the recently published report does not directly address this question, it highlights the economic realities that can arise from mass deportations.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jonathan Jones, a senior researcher at Construction Coverage, said construction is \u201clabor-intensive and sequential.\u201d This means a sudden shortage in the available workforce would likely create bottlenecks, causing delays in project completion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a worst-case scenario, labor shortages could force new housing starts to slow down significantly as general contractors struggle to staff work sites,\u201d Jones explained.<\/p>\n

The potential for project delays caused by a shrunken workforce can possibly threaten the city\u2019s ability to address its affordable housing shortage, undermining initiatives like the City of Yes zoning reform<\/a> \u2014 an effort signed into law last year to overhaul zoning and create tens of thousands of new homes in the Big Apple.\u00a0<\/p>\n

City Council Member Alexa Avil\u00e9s, chair of the NYC Council\u2019s Immigration Committee, said the study confirms \u201csomething we have long known to be true\u201d about the deportations in NYC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCrucial industries like construction that rely on the labor of immigrant workers are under threat as workers, their families, and their communities suffer from the violence of unlawful kidnappings,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery New Yorker will be affected by this horrific violence, regardless of their immigration status.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also described President Donald Trump\u2019s deportation actions as being \u201cdeeply destructive\u201d to the city\u2019s economy.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, a champion of immigrant workers who is also on the committee, allocated $17.5 million for Elmhurst Hospital enhancements in 2023. The allocation included a new hand surgery clinic which he said treats construction workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that immigrants are the backbone of New York City,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the construction industry, immigrants are a large part of the workforce. They face grave risks on the job and make great sacrifices for their families. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to have funded the first-ever hand surgery clinic at Elmhurst Hospital, specifically so that our public hospital can care for construction workers who were hurt on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Higher costs for builders, buyers and renters<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the report suggests that a shock to the labor supply typically forces wages higher as firms compete for fewer workers. These increased labor costs would likely be passed on to developers and, ultimately, to buyers and renters, potentially complicating efforts to address housing affordability, industry researchers explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the extent of future enforcement actions remains to be seen, the data shows that the New York construction industry is uniquely reliant on immigrant labor,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWith nearly half of the workforce being foreign-born, any significant reduction in this labor pool would likely strain the industry\u2019s capacity. From an economic standpoint, losing a large share of these workers would make it harder and more expensive to build the housing and infrastructure the region needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many foreign-born workers also have specialized trade skills and long-standing institutional knowledge, further adding to the enforcement strain on construction, Jones added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cReplacing a significant percentage of experienced workers rapidly is difficult, which could lead to operational inefficiencies and challenges in maintaining quality control on complex sites,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the report, nationwide, the number of foreign-born workers in the construction industry has steadily increased for more than a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In 2009, immigrants made up 23.3% of all construction industry employees. That share has grown nearly every year since, reaching 26.0% by 2023. Over the same period, the total number of foreign-born employees in the construction sector rose by more than 435,000, from over 2.4 million to nearly 2.9 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other major metro areas that rely heavily on a foreign-worker workforce include Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach at 66.2% and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim at 53.7 %. <\/p>\n

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